1. Common Record: A Story of ConvergenceGO
Common Record –
COD
Common Record –
CommonLine
Convergence
Common Record –
ISIR
Collaboration
Paving the Way for Electronic Standards in Higher Education

2. Common Record Goal
Members of the community have come together to build an XML standard for higher education

3. Convergence
Community participants worked together to come to agreement on schema structure, tag names, element definitions, lengths and valid codes.

4. Importance of Standards
Better, Faster, Cheaper
Every year it becomes more expensive to upgrade systems
Every organization is expected to do more with less
Standards make training easier
Reduce change for the sake of change
Make cross-training easier

5. PESC
PESC - Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council - Brings interested parties together to develop needed industry standards.
PESC XML Forum for Education - Participants are working together to develop common Names (“Tags”) and XML Format (“Schemas”).

6. XML Forum Participants
From the fields of Admissions, Registrars, K-12, and Financial Aid.
Within Financial Aid, participants include FSA, NCHELP, EFC, Financial Aid Administrators, software developers and more.

7. Terminology ESC - NCHELP Electronic Standards Committee -
Sets standards for exchange of FFEL and Alternative Loan data.
Collaborative effort of more than 50 organizations including representatives from schools, lenders, guarantors, loan servicers, secondary markets and software vendors.

8. Terminology
CR - Common Record - Standard XML “names” (tags) and “formats” (schema) for exchanging data within Higher Education.
COD - Common Origination and Disbursement - FSA process for originating and disbursing Pell Grants and Direct Loans, and Campus-based awards using the Common Record – COD.

9. Convergence
PESC (XML Forum) working in conjunction with the Financial Aid and Admissions/Registrar communities is developing the data standards.
ESC will continue to collaboratively set the standards for the business process flow of FFEL electronic loan information.

10. Work Products XML Technical Specification for Higher Education
Core Components Dictionary
Core Components Schema

11. XML Tech Specification for Higher Education
The “roadmap” for building the Core Components Dictionary and schemas
Includes best practices

12. Core Components Dictionary
Standards were set by the XML Forum for Education Technical Team (XML Technical Specification for Higher Education)
Core Components were gathered from Admissions and Registrar community (Academic Transcript) and Financial Aid community (FSA, CommonLine and Meteor)

13. Core Components Schema
The Core Components Dictionary was used to develop the Core Components Schema
Contains reusable components that can be used for any data exchange
The Core Components Schema is the basis for the development of all business process schemas

14. XML: The Technology Solution
Why did FSA Adopt XML?
The Common Record was defined in XML on the basic principle that COD should support what was clearly becoming the default language of eBusiness.
XML gave us flexibility.
XML was future-oriented

15. The Common Record Document Structure allows you to send data for:
Multiple Schools
Multiple Years
Multiple Awards
In ONE Transmission!
’02 ’03 ’04

16. Common Record Expansion
ORIGINAL VISION: Use XML Technology to create financial aid data packet standards.
PELL
FFEL DL
ISIR
Financial Aid Office

17. Common Record Expansion
REVISED VISION: Use XML Technology to create higher education or cross-industry data packet standards.
Educational Institution
Admissions
Registrars
Financial Aid

18. Common Record Expansion
AddressLine
AddressCity
AddressLine
AddressCity
AddressLine
AddressCity
AddressLine
AddressCity
Educational Institution
Admissions
Registrars
Financial Aid

19. Common Record Expansion Convergence of Standards
XML Forum Core
Components
Financial Aid
Core
Admissions/
Registrar
ASC X12
EDI
Common
Line
Meteor
Record
COD
ebXML

20. Common Record Expansion
Core
Components
Data Dictionary
Sector
Library
Sector
Library
Application
Schema
Application
Schema
Application
Schema
Sector
Library
Application
Schema
Application
Schema
Application
Schema

21. The Common Record – Community Development
Core Components Dictionary – PESC
Schemas
Common Record
Common Record – COD
Common Record – CommonLine -2003
Common Record – ISIR (Draft published)
Admissions/Registrar
Academic Transcript – 2003
K-12 Academic Transcript

22. Institutional Student
Next Steps for FSA
Using XML and Developing Standards will:
Simplify business process and technology for Schools
Map data to business processes
Utilize open technology supporting future
enhancements
ISIR
Institutional Student
Information Record
COD
Common Origination
And Disbursement
NSLDS
National Student Loan
Data System
Award Year
Award Year
50 Schools
Award Year
1,000 or more
*FFEL Expansion
Implementation
Award Year
All Schools
Schedule and
Phase-in process for
the Lending
Community
and Schools to be
determined
Phase-in
process for
schools to be
determined
* Effort led by FFELP

23. Data Strategy Framework
The Framework will help FSA define its standards and approach for:
Access Methods
Data Standards
Data Quality
Data Architecture
Data Ownership
[provide large clean copy in handouts]
Discuss emotional issues that may arise during this process – we are sensitive to them.

24. Overview - XML Framework
Objective:
The FSA XML Framework will outline FSA’s target state and implementation strategy for using XML across the enterprise. The XML Framework will provide standards, processes, and a toolset for implementing XML.

25. Vision/Where are we going?
Define FSA’s XML Strategic Assessment and Enterprise Vision.
Analyze current XML environment at FSA – strategy, standards, and technology.
Based on industry proven practices for guidance.
Provide standards and guidelines for consistent XML schema development.
Define the governance process for XML standards.

26. Vision/Where are we going?
Develop a Core Component Library.
Implement a Registry and Repository for storing and accessing XML documents.
Identify implementations that may leverage XML.
Architect an enterprise Data Quality Approach (using Core Components).

27. Comments, Questions, and Feedback
<Presenter Number=“1”>
<Name>Adele Marsh</Name>
<BusinessName>AES</BusinessName>
<BusinessPhone> </BusinessPhone>
</Presenter>
<Presenter Number=“2”>
<Name>Holly Hyland</Name>
<BusinessName>FSA</BusinessName>
<BusinessPhone> </BusinessPhone>

28. Thank You!!!
Common Record –
COD
CommonLine
ISIR
Collaboration GO
Convergence
Paving the Way for Electronic Standards in Higher Education